


Any Other Name

by marius_pont_de_bercy



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Elizabethan Era, Alternate Universe - Theatre, CW: Poetry, M/M, gratuitous shakespeare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 10:47:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6515098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marius_pont_de_bercy/pseuds/marius_pont_de_bercy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Aye, a maid!  And what a fair maid our Prouvaire doth make at that!"</p><p>Theatre is always more complicated when cross-dressing, <del>hecklers</del> fellow actors, and behind-the-scenes romance comes into play.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

> The Elizabethan AU that approximately nobody needed! But here it is anyway.
> 
> The only necessary background is that during the Elizabethan period, female roles (such as Juliet) were played by men.

" _But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?_  
" _It is the east, and Juliet is the sun._  
" _Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,_  
" _Who is already sick and pale with grief,_  
" _That thou her maid_ -"

"Aye, a maid! And what a fair maid our Prouvaire doth make at that!"

Montparnasse turned to cast a scathing look at the man who'd interrupted him. The offender was a fellow actor, who was watching their rehearsal.

"Goodman, hold thy tongue."

"And if I do not, _goodman,_ what fate shall befall me at thy hands?" A smirk from the heckler.

"Thou dost doubt that I shall cause thee to regret thy words." Montparnasse walked to the edge of the stage, levelling another withering look at him.

"I do," Bahorel, the actor, remarked pleasantly. 

There was a heavy sigh from the balcony above them. "Let it be, 'Parnasse, there's no need to quarrel." Prouvaire, the _fair maid_ in question, was looking down at them, his arms crossed.

Montparnasse sighed as well and took his place beneath the balcony again. 

" _...that thou her maid art far more fair than she:_  
" _Be not her maid, for she is envious-_ "

"Aye, Montparnasse, do as thy lady bids and do not quarrel!" Another actor this time, Grantaire, with his dark hair and the mocking gleam in his eye.

"Hold thy tongue, Prince of Cats!" Prouvaire glowered at him. 

Grantaire pressed his hand to his heart as if his chest was pierced by an arrow. "Thou dost _wound_ me, fair Juliet!"

"No worse than I shall wound thee if thou dost not cease thy jests." Montparnasse gave him a dark look. 

"Yet another injury to my person. Cruel Romeo, thou hast undone me!" Grantaire staged a faint and Bahorel caught him.

"Pay them no mind." Prouvaire frowned seriously. 

"... Aye." Montparnasse threw his fellow actors another dark look and resumed the scene. "But were the time better suited I would quarrel."

"Then 'tis good fortune that the time is ill-suited to such quarrels."

"Ah! But the insults thy Romeo doth fire upon me do riddle me with quarrels already," Grantaire cried dramatically.

"Had I a sword I'd bid thee DRAW!" Montparnasse turned to face him, nearly pushed past the limit of what he could endure.

"HOLD YOUR TONGUES! HOLD YOUR TONGUES, YOU HOT-BLOODED KNAVES!" Prouvaire slapped the railing of the balcony to get their attention.

One last withering look at Grantaire and then Montparnasse turned back to Prouvaire.

"His mistress doth call him," Bahorel whispered, and Grantaire burst out laughing.

\- - - 

It felt as if an entire swarm of butterflies had suddenly filled Prouvaire's stomach. He looked up at Montparnasse with a shy smile on his face as the dandy took his hand. 

" _If I profane with my unworthiest hand_  
" _This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:_  
" _My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand  
" _To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.__ "

___And even though it was only a scene, only lines that Montparnasse had memorised the night before, Prouvaire's heart seemed to flutter and he went pink as Montparnasse pressed the poet's hand to his lips._ _ _

_____" _Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,__  
" _Which mannerly devotion shows in this,_  
" _For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,  
" _And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss._ " Prouvaire's voice was soft, a shy smile on his face. _

______Montparnasse studied his features, his red hair and the constellation of freckles across his cheekbones, his wide green eyes. " _Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?_ " A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth._ _ _ _ _ _

______" _Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer._ " A tiny laugh from Prouvaire._ _ _ _ _ _

______" _O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do.  
" _They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair._ " Montparnasse raised an eyebrow, the smirk still across his features.__ _ _ _ _ _

_______Prouvaire glanced down at his hand, still held in the dandy's, and then met his gaze. " _Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake._ "_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______" _Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take._ " _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Prouvaire's heart seemed to skip a beat, and he dropped his gaze again._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______And then Montparnasse moved closer, his hand going to the side of the poet's waist, and kissed him._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Lifting his hand to rest it against the side of Montparnasse's face, Prouvaire's breath caught in his throat._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______It meant nothing, he knew that. Just a part of the story, a moment between two characters and not two people._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______And he had surely kissed a thousand girls like that, Montparnasse and his brooding good looks and his dark hair and his sullen expression._ _ _ _ _ _ _

________No. It meant nothing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______The kiss ended too soon, to a whoop from Bahorel and a wolf whistle from Grantaire._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______" _Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged._ " There was an odd look in Montparnasse's eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______It took Prouvaire a moment to remember his next line. His mind seemed to have gone blank. " _Then have my lips the sin that they have took?_ "_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______That smirk again. That smirk that made Prouvaire's heart skip a beat._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______" _Sin from thy lips? O, trespass sweetly urged!_ " Montparnasse moved closer again. His next words were soft, and Prouvaire almost let himself imagine that they were meant for him and not for their imaginary audience._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______" _Give me my sin again._ "_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______And then he was kissing Prouvaire again, his arm around the poet's waist, his Juliet's hand against the back of his neck, pulling Prouvaire closer as the poet returned the kiss._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Bahorel chose that moment to throw his cap at them and shout, "GET THEE TO A NUNNERY, PROUVAIRE!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______\- - -_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Prouvaire smoothed the fabric of the dress with nervous hands, waiting offstage._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Somebody laid his hand on the side of his waist from behind, and Prouvaire turned his head to see Montparnasse._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______His cheeks went pink as the dandy's gaze swept over him. "I look a fool."_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______"A _fool,_ no. A beauty. But not a fool." _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Prouvaire was suddenly extraordinarily aware of the hand still on his waist._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______"Thou dost think so, beloved Romeo?" His tone was light, joking, despite the fluttering in his stomach._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______"Beloved," Montparnasse mused._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Prouvaire managed a tiny, nervous smile and placed his hand over the dandy's._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______"Thou art timid, my poet? Afraid?" The concern in Montparnasse's tone surprised Prouvaire._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______"Somewhat..." Prouvaire's voice was a whisper._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______"Thou needst not be. Thou art my Juliet, and thou dost outshine the sun."_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______And then Montparnasse kissed Prouvaire. No characters to hide behind, no lines to memorise, no audience._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Not Romeo and Juliet._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______Montparnasse and Prouvaire._ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> The two scenes from Romeo and Juliet used are the balcony scene (II.ii.2-7) and the Holy Palmer's Kiss sonnet (I.v.92-110).


End file.
